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Arts Advocacy Day 2015 Registration

Join Arts for Colorado in supporting the arts at Arts Advocacy Day 2015! Your elected officials need to know why the arts should be supported–and Arts for Colorado gives you the opportunity to do so. This event extends beyond advocating for the arts, and offers dynamic professional development sessions that will help take your career and organization to the next level!

The day will kick off with a continental breakfast and an advocacy training session. The session will be conducted by AFC lobbyist Jennifer Mello of Brandeberry-McKenna Public Affairs. Mello has played a leading role in securing public funding for the arts in Colorado. She has also worked on numerous bills designed to create a more advantageous environment for the development of the arts in Colorado.

Advocacy Exercise

Jay Seller

8:30 a.m. to 8:45

During this session, Jay Seller will work with students to illustrate ways arts advocates attending this meeting can advocate effectively with state legislators.

Legislator Spotlight

8:45 am – 9:00 am

A State Representative will talk about their focus on personal connections to the arts and why it is important for arts advocates to build relationships with their elected officials. Attendees will also be briefed on potential arts-related legislation.

Legislative Meetings

9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

Arts for Colorado will work to schedule meetings with you and your legislators. To take advantage of this opportunity to connect with your elected officials, please provide either your home address or the address for your arts-related business or organization when you register for Arts Advocacy Day. Click here to register. Arts for Colorado (AFC) will provide you with talking points to initiate the arts advocacy conversation with your elected officials.

Colorado Creative Industries Update

10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Margaret Hunt, Director of Colorado Creative Industries will update participants on the many initiatives of the agency. Colorado is unique among arts agencies with its focus on creative industries and the focus has yielded many exciting opportunities for people working in Colorado’s creative sector.

The “Magic” of Trinidad

10:15 am to 10:30 am

Marilyn Leuszler is an Arts for Colorado board member, chair of Corazon de Trinidad Creative District, and owner/artist of Brushwork-Black Ink Studio. In this session Leuszler will examine the work involved with integrating the arts into rural communities as well as the outcomes that can result from that work.

Ways You can Benefit from WESTAF’s Resources

10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), one of the country’s six regional arts organizations, is headquartered in Colorado. Although WESTAF has a regional and national focus, the organization has developed many programs and services that can be accessed by Coloradans. In this session, WESTAF staff will talk about ways to apply for up to $2,500 to support out-of-state touring artists. The staff will also show attendees how to use WESTAF technology to locate and apply for visual arts competitions, and to more effectively manage art fairs.

Advocating for the Arts within a Health Institution

10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Tess Jones, the Director of the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities on the Anschutz Medical Campus manages an array of art and cultural programs at this major medical complex. Although the Center is committed to the arts and humanities, as in any large organization, communication of the value of such programming and internal advocacy for its benefits need to be continuous. In this session, Jones will provide insights into her internal advocacy work and offer suggestions for ways to advocate effectively for the arts with a large organization, especially a scientific enterprise.

Music Education: Policy, Access, and Arts Integration

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Carla Aguilar is a professor and the director of Music Education at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Aguilar is a major advocate for the value of a strong arts education program in the schools K-12. In this presentation, she will highlight ways to advocate for arts education within existing education and policy frameworks.

Arts, Aerospace, and the Creative Economy

11:30 p.m. to 12:00 noon

The arts connect to the aerospace industry in a variety of ways. In this session, employees from Lockheed Martin will talk about how experience in the arts contribute to the organizations success. They will also discuss ways a large aerospace firm accesses the expertise and creativity found in the arts for the benefit of the business.

Break, Pick Up Lunch, and Find a Table

12:00 Noon to 12:30

Roundtables

12:30:p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Attendees are invited to sit with speakers and experts who made presentations in the morning and use them as resources for the issues they are dealing with.

The Arts, Creativity, and the Essence of Place

1:30 p.m. to 2:45

Patrick Overton is director of The Front Porch Institute. Since 1996, the Institute has explored the role of arts and culture within communities, including civil discourse. Although he works with nonprofit organizations of many different natures and sizes, he focuses on the needs of smaller organizations in rural and small communities. In his presentation which will be followed by a question and answer period, Overton will discuss the role of the arts and creativity in community revitalization by nurturing the essence of place.

Concluding Comments

2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The leaders of Arts for Colorado thank those who participated in the program and talk to the group about how they can be involved in the organization on a year-round basis.

Space for this event is limited. Click here to register online by Wednesday, March 4th. The participation fee is $30 for general admission, $15 for students, and free for legislators.* The participation fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, study materials, and all activities. Vegetarian and gluten-free meal options will be available.

*If you are a legislator and would like to attend, please RSVP to Janae De La Virgen at janae.delavirgen@westaf.org by Wednesday, March 4th. The value of the event is $30 and receipts will be provided for Amendment 41 purposes.

Additional Information:

Please contact Janae De La Virgen at info@artsforcolorado.org if you have questions or would like additional information about this event.

Arts for Colorado (AFC) is a nonpartisan, statewide nonprofit 501(c) 4 organization dedicated to improving the climate for creative industries throughout the state, facilitating advocacy for Colorado’s arts and culture, and preserving and expanding state-level public-and private-sector support for the arts.

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